It is known that utilities and industrial customers of such utilities are increasingly interested in performing end-use load studies. These studies are typically in the form of collecting interval power data so as to monitor and control energy consumption. While this is often done at a main load center, due to the increased costs and problems associated with time of use power consumption, such monitoring is being done closer to the individual end-use loads (i.e., motors, etc.). In this fashion, industrial customers are given a financial incentive to curtail power consumption when the cost of power is high as well as being able to more carefully and cost-effectively manage their power consumption by knowing where in their plant significant amounts of energy is being used. Moreover, the measurement of power components is being demanded more and more frequently in load control equipment and particularly in Molded Case Circuit Breakers as is frequently found in use in industry. Such power components include, RMS and peak voltage, current and power, either by phase or in total while other components which are now being frequently measured are power factor related components.
Heretofore, when power monitoring is to be done, a discrete energy transducer is installed on the equipment or circuit to be monitored. This transducer generates a digital pulse output via a mechanical or solid state relay with the frequency of the pulse output being proportional to the magnitude of the measured quantity. This digital pulse output is either hard wired or communicated via a power-line-carrier system to a discrete pulse data recording device where it is time stamped.
This recorded data is periodically retrieved either manually or through a hand-held computer or sometimes automatically via a telephone line modem. Thereafter, the data is then typically loaded into a computer which analyzes the data and calculates a load profile or other magnitude-verses-time information profile. Accordingly, the general use of pulse data recorders is well known and are produced by companies such as Schlumberger and are readily known to one skilled in the art. However, these energy transducers and data recorders are generally very bulky as well as being very costly and time consuming to install and utilize. This is particularly so in that they frequently require direct wiring to the load which thereby results in down time until installation is complete.
Accordingly, it is advantageous to produce a device which incorporates time-interval data generation directly into a circuit breaker system which thereby saves money and physical space as well as minimizing down time. In this regard, specifically included within the class of circuit breakers are molded case circuit breakers which are readily known and available to those skilled in the art and may typically be, for example, be an (SB) System Breakers produced by Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc., the assignee of the present invention. These type of breakers have current interrupting capabilities while having connected therewith an electronic portion which monitors various components of the energy being consumed by a downstream load.
However, even though such measurement capabilities exist in molded case breakers separate or discrete energy transducers and data recorders are still utilized because there is no way to directly connect data recorders to such breakers. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to produce a device for the recording of data unique to loads without the use of separate energy transducers. It is yet another object of the present invention to produce a system for data recording which does not require the shut down of equipment or additional use of an inordinate amount of new or additional equipment.
Still a further object of the present invention is to produce a device which may utilize only a pulse-data recorder or only a simple data recorder. It is yet another object of the present invention to produce a device which does not require expensive or significant modification of the circuit breaker or associated equipment in order to provide for such data recorded.
It is yet another object of the present invention to produce apparatus for providing load related information to a data recorder, comprising a molded case circuit breaker, connectable to a load and having a current interrupting portion therein and a electronic monitor therein; the said electronic monitor controlling the current interruption portion and for producing an output signal at output terminals thereat wherein the output signal is related to at least one of the current, voltage and power related characteristics of the load; the electronic monitor comprised of at least one microprocessor having at least one output pin; and further comprising a switching device having an input connected to the output pin and having a switching device output so as to form the output terminals for producing a series of output pulses wherein the output pulses are related to at least one of the current, voltage and power related characteristics of the load; and a pulse data recorder connected to the output terminals for recording at least one of the current, voltage and power related characteristics of the load wherein the pulse data recorder summs the output signal over a predetermined period of time and time stamping the summation, the pulse data recorder being remote and discrete from the molded case circuit breaker.